WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are potentially beneficial for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), according to a research letter published online Aug. 13 in JAMA Dermatology.

Louise Gouvrion, M.D., from Rennes University Hospital in France, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, multicenter study involving patients with HS exposed to GLP-1 RAs for three months or longer from 2017 to 2024. A total of 66 patients with HS from 15 centers were included, with a median follow-up of 18.5 months while taking GLP-1 RAs.

Overall, 35 patients (53 percent) were undergoing treatment for HS when they initiated GLP-1 RAs. The researchers found that 35 (54 percent) and 40 (62 percent) patients had a 1-point or higher reduction in the HS Physician's Global Assessment and 12 and 32 percent showed a 2-point or higher reduction at six months and at discontinuation or last consultation, respectively. In 60 and 67 percent of patients at six months and at discontinuation or last consultation, respectively, flare reductions were observed, while the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)-Pain decreased in 52 and 60 percent, NRS-Suppuration decreased in 53 and 58 percent, and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index decreased in 50 and 52 percent, respectively. A statistically significant reduction in all outcomes was seen at six months for the 34 patients whose HS treatment remained unchanged during the previous 12 months, as well as in the entire cohort.

"GLP-1 RAs offer promise for patients with HS and obesity and potentially for patients without obesity through immunological effects," the authors write. "Randomized clinical trials are warranted to confirm the role of GLP-1 RAs in HS management."

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text